Volume 1, Chapter 64: Li Shiyao Steals the Base!

A delightful fragrance drifted through the air, though it hardly seemed like the scent of burning incense.

The lingering grogginess of a heavy hangover had yet to dissipate, but the sensation of soft warmth was exceptionally comforting. Habitually, Su Cheng pulled the soft form beside him straight into his embrace.

His hand followed the smooth curve of her slender neck, slipping into a cascade of long hair that radiated a pleasant fragrance.

The soft figure pressed firmly against his chest, and a low, muffled murmur—reminiscent of a seductive invitation—followed right on cue.

Clearly, Su Cheng had not yet realized that a gorgeous treasure had somehow materialized in his bed; he remained utterly lost in the tender embrace and the haze of his hangover.

Pressing his body closer, he sought out the most comfortable posture possible, resting his chin atop her shoulder. It felt as though the spot had been custom-made for him, granting an immense sense of ease.

This position allowed him to savor the delicate fragrance emanating from her hair, a scent so intoxicating it seemed capable of effectively easing the pain of his hangover.

After a long while, Su Cheng’s restless hands finally sensed something amiss.

More pressingly, his chest felt heavily pinned down, making it somewhat difficult to breathe.

Something was definitely not right...

[Huh?]

That golden head of hair right before him...

[Damn it! I am finished! What the hell is this?!]

[Why am I here? Why is she here? This is my room!]

Su Cheng’s eyes widened in horror. Li Shiyao, disheveled and improperly dressed, was sprawled right across his chest. He could distinctly feel the steady rhythm of her breath against him—vivid, clear, and uncomfortably ticklish.

[Why on earth is Li Shiyao in my room? And in my bed, of all places?! Isn't this completely disastrous?!]

Separated by merely a single wall, Ye Qinghan felt her pupils dilate violently at the thought. She cast a glance toward the neighboring bed; both Dongfang Jue and Li Shiyao were missing.

Dongfang Jue had gone to attend to military affairs, meaning Li Shiyao, having drunk quite a bit the previous night, should have simply gone straight to her own room to sleep!

Good grief! You clueless little fool, Shiyao! How dare you steal your elder sister's man!

Ye Qinghan was ready to fly into a rage! She had held back for so long, never once getting to taste her master, and yet she had let that airhead beat her to it!

[Should I wake her up? What if she starts screaming at the top of her lungs the moment she opens her eyes?]

[But she's bound to wake up eventually anyway!]

At that moment, Su Cheng felt utterly numb, too terrified to make even the slightest movement. Merely knowing Li Shiyao already constituted a massive headache!

Spending the night with her might very well cost him his life outright!

[What do I do? What do I do? If Qinghan finds out about this, heaven only knows what she will think of me! Damn it!]

On the other side of the wall, Ye Qinghan sat dejectedly on the edge of her bed, feeling as though she had lost some irreplaceable treasure.

The two of them, separated by a single partition, shared a completely different kind of sorrow, yet both were trapped in an agonizingly awkward predicament because of Li Shiyao.

Ye Qinghan was equally at a loss. Should she go and rescue her master? Her master obviously wouldn't want her to witness such a sight, so should she simply pretend she knew nothing about it?

Just as both of them were struggling to reach a decision, the airheaded culprit responsible for this mess clearly had no intention of giving the master and disciple any more time.

Li Shiyao murmured sleepily, transitioning from a deep slumber to a half-waking state as her little hands began wandering aimlessly...

[Damn it! This little idiot is waking up! What should I do?]

[Is there any magical artifact that can instantly knock someone out? Even if there were, I couldn't use it on myself right now!]

Overhearing this, Ye Qinghan desperately wanted to coordinate with her master, but the potential power of such a magical artifact might be a bit too much...

If she weren't careful, her master’s mortal flesh might be dealt a blow so severe that he would never wake up again!

"Hmm?" Rubbing her hazy, sleep-filled eyes, she slowly raised her head...

Feeling the strands of hair slip away from beneath his arm, Su Cheng knew the hour of judgment had arrived. Next came the part where he had to offer his explanation.

"Master Su? Why did you crawl into Shiyao's bed?"

Whether she was still sleepy or simply hadn't shaken off her hangover, Li Shiyao remained uncharacteristically calm, wearing a slightly dazed expression that epitomized her usual clueless self.

"Um... this is my room."

Li Shiyao glanced around her surroundings before nodding thoughtfully.

"Master Su, how could you sneakily carry Shiyao into your room?"

[Well, well, well, shifting the blame entirely onto me! Even if this isn't the first time, I just have to ask: are you even playing fair?]

[There’s no point in explaining anymore! This girl is an absolute idiot!]

[If she has no idea what happened herself, what am I even supposed to use as an explanation?!]

[It would be one thing if I actually did something! The crux of the matter is that I didn't do a single thing! Isn't this an absolute, blood-boiling loss for me?!]

"Uh..."

Su Cheng was left completely speechless by Li Shiyao's question. How was he supposed to answer that? She had already finished answering it on his behalf!

She had already declared that he was the one who had sneakily carried her into his room! At that point, what earthly use was an explanation?

Li Shiyao slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position and straightened her undergarments. Surprisingly unruffled, she didn't throw the kind of fit involving screams of outrage that Su Cheng had anticipated.

Once her attire was neatly adjusted, right under Su Cheng’s watchful gaze, she simply lay back down beside him, appearing entirely unbothered by the situation.

[Damn it, Li Shiyao! Can you possibly be this sleepy?]

"Master Su, you actually really like Shiyao, don't you?"

At that moment, Ye Qinghan was ready to blow a gasket, but for some reason, her legs refused to cooperate. She remained seated on the edge of the bed, her mind racing with a chaotic whirlwind of thoughts.

If she were to storm into her master's room right now and catch them in flagrante delicto, wouldn't she just be creating unnecessary trouble for her master?

Besides, she knew full well that her master hadn't done anything wrong!

It was this Li Shiyao who had gotten drunk and wandered into her master's room of her own accord!

A sudden, chilling thought crossed Ye Qinghan's mind. Is there any possibility...

Could this woman have been playing dumb all along, with her ultimate target from the very beginning being her master?

"The Second Elder said that Shiyao is very lovable! There isn't a single man in this world who doesn't like Shiyao."

Lying beside Su Cheng, Li Shiyao rested her chin in her hand and blinked up at him with an expression of pure, adorable cluelessness as he stared back with a look of utter despair.

[My friend? Is this really the time to be discussing such things? Do you have any idea what kind of situation we're in right now?]

"..." Su Cheng truly had no idea how to reply. He had no words left; not a single sentence uttered by Li Shiyao possessed even a shred of logic!

She jumped from one random topic to another, leaving Su Cheng entirely in the dark regarding what she actually wanted to convey.

Resigning himself to his fate, Su Cheng decided to simply let her talk. At any rate, he needed to keep her steady first; whatever came up, they would deal with it slowly. Surely, there had to be a way out...

To Li Shiyao, Su Cheng's silence looked indistinguishable from silent consent. Blinking her large eyes, she cheerfully continued.

"Master Su, will Shiyao end up pregnant with a little baby?"

The very instant those words reached her ears, Ye Qinghan felt the intent of her Frost Sword calling out to her!

It was as though the bloodline of a warrior had awakened, and the fox-demon blood within her body was suddenly screaming for bloodshed!

That airheaded Shiyao!

"Impossible!" Su Cheng hastily cut off that preposterous declaration.

"Why? The books say that when a boy and a girl sleep together, they will have a little baby."

Li Shiyao genuinely behaved like a child; her tone of voice and her gaze—save for her somewhat alluring figure—were entirely those of an innocent youngster.

"Because you were drunk."

Lacking any idea of how to explain such a concept to Li Shiyao, Su Cheng could only cobble together a random excuse on the spot.

Li Shiyao seemed to recall fragments of the previous night, though she failed to dredge up any memories regarding how she had ended up in Su Cheng's room, nor did she seem to care much about it.

"Shiyao just remembered something very important."

Abruptly, Li Shiyao recalled the conversation she had shared with Sister Qinghan the day before—she wanted to join the Lingxian Palace.

"What is it?" Watching Li Shiyao adopt that sudden, whimsical expression, Su Cheng felt a fresh wave of terror wash over him.

[This girl... she doesn't intend to use this incident to blackmail me, does she?]

"Shiyao wants to join the Lingxian Palace so she can be with Sister Qinghan every day. At first, I was a little worried that you wouldn't like Shiyao."

But looking at things now, hehe, Master Su clearly likes Shiyao a lot after all!